• July 18, 2019: Argentina designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

On July 18, 2019, Argentina designated Hezbollah, in its entirety, a terrorist organization and ordered the freezing of its assets in the South American country. The designation coincided with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Argentina and followed Argentina’s creation of a public registry for terror entities and individuals.

While Hezbollah does not pose a direct threat to Argentina per se, the group has carried out two major terrorist attacks in the country: the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, and the 1994 bombing of Buenos Aires’ Jewish cultural center, which killed 85 people. The group additionally continues to pose a threat to American, Israeli, and Jewish assets and individuals in Argentina, and has a large presence in the so-called Tri-Border Region – linking Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay – where it is additionally accused of involvement in that region’s widespread criminal activity.